The warmth of melting snow, New Year's Eve soba noodles for the soul

Friday, January 2, 2026

On New Year's Eve, snow quietly fell, painting the world in white. As if to break the cold, tense silence, the warm spirit of Hokuryu Town was delivered to my home.

Masao Fujisaki, a resident of Hokuryu Town, has put his heart and soul into making these handmade soba noodles, using his skill and, above all, his heart.

The delicate overlapping obi of soba noodles is beautiful, and exudes a quiet and peaceful glow, just like Fujisaki's honest way of life itself.

Handmade soba noodles with a warm soul
Handmade soba noodles with a warm soul

It is an immense pleasure to be able to enjoy this exquisite dish as the closing dish of the year and the important "Toshikoshi Soba" that serves as a bridge to the new year! I am truly grateful.

When you put the freshly boiled, exquisite soba noodles into your mouth, you can feel Fujisaki's passion and the deep, rich flavor of the thin noodles with their firm texture.

Exquisitely tasting hand-made New Year's Eve soba
Exquisitely tasting hand-made New Year's Eve soba

With each passing year, the sincerity and unfathomable warmth of the hearts of the people of Hokuryu Town, including Mr. Fujisaki, grows deeper like falling snow.

Looking around the world, we may be living in an age where cold winds blow and our hearts feel as if they are lost in darkness.

That is why gifts like this, delivered in person with sincerity and heartfelt care, are such a precious and powerful light.

The warm light of soba noodles gives us the courage to move forward, one step at a time, in the new year that has just begun.

Grateful for a blissful New Year's Eve!
Grateful for a blissful New Year's Eve!

With great sincerity and the ultimate New Year's Eve soba, we put limitless love and gratitude, and quiet prayers for the future...

"Laughter brings good fortune" - a prayer for a new year filled with smiles...
"Laughter brings good fortune" - a prayer for a new year filled with smiles...

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🖋️ Content planning, article writing, photo selection, and video creation: Ikuko Terauchi Photography, editing, and website management: Noboru Terauchi